I can't believe our school year is already coming to an end. I have truly enjoyed working with this group of kiddos, and thank you parents for being so easy to work with! We have had lots of fun things going on in the last couple of weeks. We had a speaker come in to talk to us about dairy farms, and enjoyed a tasty treat. We also got a vist from some 5K students to check out first grade. The first graders did an awesome job of helping out the kindergarteners, and setting a good example for them.​Math: We finished our last unit in math which is a very short introduction to 2 2-digit addition. It is very cool to see all the different stategies that students can come up with to help them solve these big addition equations. We will talk about money with the last couple of days of school left.

Religion: We continued to talk about the Holy Spirit. We learned that the church began at pentecost. We learned how the Holy Spirit helps the church. We also talked about how names have special meanings, and we learned that Peter's name means "rock". Ask your child to explain why Peter's name means rock.

Science: We finished up our weather unit. We talked about clouds. And learned the 3 main types of clouds. We practiced mixing hot a cold woater together and taking its temperature.

Reading: We are working on the long o sound (made by oa and ow.) and long a sound (made by ay and ai) We have enjoyed reading a lot of Eric Carle books, and are finally getting to the art project. I can't wait for you to see the finished pieces, they are going to look very neat.

Writing: We finished up our opinion/persuasive unit by writing book reviews. if you haven't seen our video of the book reviews, check it out on facebook.

Math: We continued to practice time to the hour and half hour. We are now learning about 2-D shapes. We learned that a square is a special rectangle. We also learned the specific attributes that make a shape a specific shape. We practiced making 2 and 4 equal shares. We even got to draw shapes and equal shares in shaving cream and playdough. We are just starting to discuss 3-D shapes, and then we will move on to measurement.​Religion: We listened to the story about Jesus visiting his followers after he had risen from the dead. We talked about how Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to help his followers. We also listened to the story about how Jesus kept his promise, and the Holy Spirit was sent to his followers.

​Science: We started our last einstein kit, which is all about weather. We explored outside, and used our senses to describe the weather. We learned about different types of thermometers, and practiced reading different temperatures. A new job in our classroom is weather helper. This helper will need to record: date, cloud cover, precipitation, and wind speed. We also practiced telling wind speed by making our own flags, and observing what happens to them outside.

Reading: We have been working on the Vowel Consontant E pattern. We can also call this the magic e, silent e, bossy e. Students should be able to recognize these words as they are reading. We also talked alot about comparing and contrasting and used venn diagrams. We read a few nonfiction books, and had to decide the main idea and details of the book. ​Writing: We are anxiously awaiting to recieve our class book! The students worked very hard to get this done in time. We are now working on our last unit of writing which is all about sharing your opinion and being persuasive. One thing we are learning is that to be persuasive you need to tell at least 3 reasons why or why not.

Math: We just finished unit 6, which was all about comparing. We learned how to ask and answer different types of comparing questions. We can easily answer questions like "who has more or fewer", but it can be a little more of a challenge when we are asked "how many more or fewer". This group of first graders did a pretty good job of picking that idea up. ​Religion: We discussed the prayer that Jesus taught his followers, the Lord's Prayer. We talked about how Jesus is the shephard and we are his sheep. He will always look out for us, just as a shephard watches over their sheep. We learned that "hosana" is a word of praise. We also did an art project using the word "hosana".

Social Studies: We learned about our city, state, and country. Ask your child if they remember what each is. We also talked about different types of land (hills, mountains and plains) and water (lakes, oceans and rivers). We looked at different maps, and talked about the weather. We also learned about natural resources, and why it is important to take care of our world.

Science: We just recieved our last Einstein kit, about the weather. The students have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this kit.

Reading: We finished reviewing the sounds of different digraphs. We also looked at different endings words may have (-s, -es, -ed, -ing). We continued to work on proper and common nouns. We learned about contractions. We talked about verbs of time like past, present, and future. We are now working on the magic e pattern found in words. We may also call it the bossy e or silent e. It job is to make the vowel say it own name.

Writing: We finished up our poem unit by making a project and poem called "I wish". We are now going to work on creating a class story that will be published into a real book. The kiddos get very excited for this project, and it turns out so neat!

Math: We worked a lot with adding and subtracting teen numbers. We learned how to add 3 numbers together. We practiced counting to 100 or higher by making groups of 10. We practiced writing numbers 1-120. We also worked on adding and subtracting multiples of 10.Religion: We learned about the different times of the church year. We talked about Jesus' followers, and what they learned from him. Social Studies: We talked about ways to be a good friend. And we have been talking about families. We discussed how some families are similar and different. We also talked about how families get from place to place.

Reading: We reviewed the short u sound and digraphs, and we continued to work with blends/clusters. We talked about the different parts of a story. We also learned about prepositions. We looked at different word endings such as -ing, -ed, and -s. We reviewed nouns, and began to discuss proper nouns.​Writing: We finished our all about unit by typing our stories on the computers. This was a great learning experience, and the kids had to problem solve when they were unsure what to do next. Look for the class book coming around soon! We are now working on a poetry unit.

Math: We are continuing to work on tens and ones. We practiced adding groups of ten and extra ones. We also worked on adding tens, ones, and both. We learned how to compare 2 2-digit numbers. We practiced different counting on strategies to add 2 digit numbers. ​Social Studies: We discussed symbols of the United States. We also learned about a couple of good citizens found throughout history. We talked about MLK Jr. and how he changed people's minds by his peaceful words, not by using violence.

Religion: We talked about how Jesus loves all people, and helps those who need it. We learned about the great commandment. The great commandment is that you shall love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And you should love your neighbor as yourself. With this we have been talking a lot about treating others the way you want to be treated. We also talked about ways to love God, others, and ourselves.

​Reading:We reviewed short vowels i, o, and e, and have been working on the -ick. -ock, and -eck word families. We are working on different blends. When students see these blends they should immediately know what sound they make, and that should help them sound out the rest of the word. We talked about the main idea and details of different nonfiction stories that we read. We worked on putting things in order to retell a story or event that happened. ​​Writing: We are working on our All about books. We learned how to add special features to our books like: labels, table of contents, captions, headings, maps, and closeups. We also learned how to use comparisons in our writing. Next week we will be working on editing our final pieces.

Special DatesFebruary 9th-cake walk, Valentine Exchange, and 100th day of school...wow what a day full of Celebrations!February 10th-no school

Math: We started working on place value of tens and ones. We learned how to count by tens and ones. We talked about how teen numbers all have 1 group of 10 and some extra ones. We learned how to draw out numbers using ten sticks and ones. We also learned a strategy to help us add bigger numbers, and that is to see if we can make a ten to make adding easier. We talked about using doubles to help us solve equations.

Science: We had fun playing with and learning about solids and liquids. We learned the properties of solids and liquids and did a lot of exploring with both. The kids couldn't wait till the end when we got to mix all of our liquids together to see what would happen. Before Christmas break we also made gak, which is mostly made of liquids, but it turned into a solid.

Religion: We learned that Jesus was born in Bethleham and grew up in Nazareth. We talked about how the Holy Family believed, loved, and obeyed God just like we do.

Reading: We reviewed the short u sound, and worked on -ack family words. We talked about adjectives, and came up with color, number, and size words used to describe something. We have been talking alot about making text to text connections by comparing and contrasting different books we have read. This week we have been reviewing our Daily 5 routines, and the students are doing a wonderful job.

Writing: We finished our how to unit by writing how to Christmas stories. Be sure to keep your eye out for the next class book!

-We have had many exciting things happening in our classroom this month. One of which includes getting a visit from the kindness elf. The students have decided to name him Jacob. Ask your child what the elf is all about. We also created a new job in our classroom, the kindness helper. ​​Math: We will be finishing up Unit 3 shortly. We have been working hard at breaking apart story problems and equations, and looking for what we already know and what we don't know or what the question is asking of us. We learned how to figure what what an unknown partner is and what and unknown total is. This can be very tricky for students to understand the difference, but this group is doing really well.

Science: We started talking about solids and liquids. We learned that all solids have a shape and color. We also discussed how solids can roll, stack, or roll and stack. We will soon explore liquids which is always a fun time because we get to mix things and get messy.

Religion: We continued to talk about the Blessed Trinity. We discussed how Jesus has a family that is similar to our families.

Reading: We finished learning the strategies for when we come to a tricky word. We will spend the rest of the year reviewing and using those strategies. We are reading lots of non-fiction books. We learned that non-fiction books can have: a title page, table of contents, and photographs. We learned about vowels e and o. We also talked about how to retell a story by telling the beginning, middle, and end of what happened in the story. We continued to discuss nouns and verbs.

Writing: We are working on How to stories. We learned that a how to story teaches the reader how to do something. We came up with a list of different ideas to write about. We talked about being sure to add every detail, and making our pictures clear. ​ Upcoming dates:December 2-book orders homeDecember 9-book orders due backDecember 14-Christmas ProgramDecember 23-January 2-no school

Check out our home page to see pictures of our field trip and firefighter visit!

Math: We just finished Unit 2, which was all about adding and subtracting. We learned how to write addition and subtraction equations. We learned how to add more quickly by counting on, instead of counting all our fingers. We also talked about how addition and subtraction equations can be related.

Religion: We talked about why God sent his son, Jesus, to us. We learned that Jesus is God's greatest gift because he is our brother and friend, and tells us about God's love. We also learned about the Blessed Trinity.

Science: We continued to learn about the Sun. We learned that rotation causes day and night. The Earth's axis and revolution around the sun causes the seasons.

​Social studies: We learned what a citizen is. We talked about why we have rules, and why it is important to follow them. With the election coming up, we also discussed what makes a good president.

Reading:We learned about vowels a and i. This week we a learning about vowel o. We learned what a noun is. We also talked about how characters show their feelings in stories by what they do and say. We are learning and practicing different strategies to use when we get stuck on a word. We already learned: look at the picture, say the first sound, stretch it out, and chunk it up. This week we are learning how to skip the word and then come back to it later.

Writing: We are finishing up Unit 2 which was about writing stories about ourselves. We learned that a story is more than 1 or 2 sentences. A complete story has a beginning, at least 3 details, and an ending. You will be very impressed with the amount of writing these kiddos are doing compared to the beginning of the year!

We are off to a great start of the school year! The first graders have been very busy learning the expectations of our classroom, and they are doing a great job. We are working hard at making sure we use kind words to each other, and stay on task.

Math: We took our unit 1 test last Thursday, and everyone did a wonderful job on it. We worked on partners of 1-10. We talked about what a partner and total was. We learned how to flip partners. We also discussed the various ways we could show partners (stair steps, fingers, drawings with break apart sticks, math mountains, and equations).

Science: We have been talking about the sun. The sun gives us heat and light, which makes the earth warm and allows plants to grow, which in turn allows people to live on Earth. The students learned that the sun is a star, but it is not the brightest or biggest star. We talked about how much bigger the sun is compared to Earth. We also learned what a constellation was, and even made our own.

Religion: We have been talking about God's creations, and how we can take care of those creations. God's greatest gift was people. God created people so that we can learn to know and love him.

Reading:​ We are now in full swing of reading groups, and daily 5. We have spent the last couple of weeks learning and practicing: read to self, work on writing, read to someone, word work, and listen to reading. This week we were able to incorporate all 5 into our reading rotations. The first graders are doing a good job of working independently during these centers. Please be sure to read with your child at least 20 minutes every night.

Writing: We just finished our first unit, my pictures make a story. We were really focusing on writing at least 1 sentence that matches our picture. As we move on throughout the year your student will be able to write complete stories with 5 or more sentences. I made a class book so each family could see the hard work their child did when they edited their writing piece. It will be sent from child to child to take home for a couple of days.

It is so hard to believe our school year is just about over! I want to thank all the wonderful families here at St. Mary's School for making my first year here very enjoyable, and I can't wait to be back next year. The kiddos in this classroom are truly a great bunch, and have been wonderful to work with. I am truly going to miss them!Even though our school year is coming to an end, I feel this time of year is the busiest.

Math-We learned how to add 2 two-digit numbers. Some equations required making a new ten group which we called regrouping. The students learned and practiced using many different strategies to solve these types of equations. During the last couple of weeks we learned about money, and practiced adding different amounts of money together.

Science-We continued to learn about weather. We learned about cirrus, cumulus, and stratus clouds, and what kind of weather they bring. We did many different cloud projects and experiments. We recently had a special visitor, Pete Petoniak, come and talk to the kids about his job. Check out the blog's homepage to see the youtube links.

Social Studies-We are talking about economics. We talked about jobs. The students learned that they have a job right now as a first grader (also jobs at home). We are earning "money" for our job at school, but we can also lose our "money" if we are not doing our job. On the last day of school we will be able to buy things with the money we earned.

Religion-We talked about what a parish is, and what parish we belong to. We learned that parish members do things together like a family. We talked about the seven sacraments.

Reading- We are working on syllables and compound words. At first, when we learned that a compound word is two words put together to make a new word, they were silly about it and could only remember it by calling it a twopound word. So if you hear that now you know where it came from. We also talked about vowel teams and the sounds that they make. When we see these words the rule is usually that the first vowel does the talking, and says its own name.

Writing-We worked on fiction stories. At first, some students struggled with getting ideas, but once they got going I could see their imaginations and crazy ideas come to life. Our class book that we published should be here any day now.